Georgetown, Seattle, WA – February 23, 2019

Ciudad has been bookmarked for a long time on our must-try list. We had heard nothing but high praise from coworkers and friends, so when we had an open weekend this past February, we hopped in the car and headed south. Expectations were definitely high based on pictures we had seen on Yelp, thankfully they were exceeded during our visit.

Let’s talk about the….

SPACE

Colorful. Quirky, Down-to-Earth. Those words pretty much sum up the Ciudad space. Set in a garage-like space in Georgetown, Ciudad is brought to life with colorful wall paintings, chairs, and pillows. When entering the space, you walk past a front area with the grill where all the magic is made. After opening a large metal door, you’re greeted with natural lighting galore and the beauty of a sight as pictured above. We arrived shortly after 11:30 a.m. (about 30 minutes after the restaurant opened) and were seated at a two-seater table. Total table capacity was close to 40 or 50 seats. As we ate our meal, more and more folks came in and eventually there was a wait. There was a mix of bench and chair seating as well as a small bar area. Decor was minimal, with the cool, quirky animal painting on the wall doing most of the talking. The restaurant is able to achieve a lot with this minimalistic approach to decor and with their strategic aesthetic choices elsewhere.

SERVICE

Something to be aware of – Ciudad does not accept reservations under a party of 6, so if you’re coming during peak hours, expect a wait. Or if you have a large group, definitely plan ahead and contact them to make a reservation. Thankfully, since we arrived shortly after they opened, we were seated right away. Our server was cordial and didn’t pester us as we took our time looking over the menu. He was even kind enough to explain the composition of one of the dishes (pork belly dish, perhaps a point of confusion for many diners in the past). After putting our order in, the food came in a timely manner. There was rarely a lull and our server checked in with just enough frequency to make sure we were enjoying the food but not so much that we felt like we were being babysat.

FOOD

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Now for the best part – THE FOOD. In short, we loved all the dishes we ordered. Everything was perfectly seasoned and delicious. Ciudad’s backstory shines a light on the strong Portuguese influence on the food, which the owner brought back from a trip in Porto, Portugal prior to opening the restaurant.

Let’s talk about the:

• Small Plates:
  • Crispy Pork Belly – pork belly, baby mustard greens, pickled winter radishes, sambal vinaigrette: This dish was more of a salad with chopped pork belly mixed in. However, as I note above, the server was nice enough to explain the composition of this dish, so we knew what we were getting into. Overall, the dish was well seasoned with all of its components. The textures of the ingredients worked well together, and it had a bit of a kick from the sambal vinaigrette. We did wish the pork belly was a bit crispier, however, that didn’t take away from the dish.
• Vegetables:
  • Brussels Sprouts & Crispy Carrot – brussels sprouts, carrot, burnt honey, tomato sambal: Another welcomed kick in this dish from the incorporation of sambal. The brussel sprouts were lightly grilled, soft but not mushy. The crispy carrots were a nice compliment in texture to the brussel sprouts. Both Ray and I are big fans of brussel sprouts and these were a hit for both of us.
  • Saffron Cauliflower & sweet Onion – cauliflower, sweet onion, dried apricot, hazelnut: A perfect mountain of cauliflower, mixed with sweet onion, hazelnuts, and dried apricot, what more could you ask for? All these ingredients worked amazingly well together and yet another showcase that the Ciudad chefs know how to create a dish with the perfect mix of textures and seasoning. The cauliflower was on the softer side, but perfectly complemented by the crunch hazelnuts.
•  Mains/Entrees:
  • From the Grill – Quarter pound each of Harissa Marinated Chicken and Moruno Spiced Hanger Steak, with three pieces of Flatbread and sauces (salsa verde, smoked yogurt, black garlic aioli): Two quarter pounds of meat was the perfect amount for the two of us. Half pound and full pound portions of the different grill options are available, but considering we ordered three other dishes, we decided to go smaller for our grill choices. Between the chicken and steak, we favored the steak. The meat was juicier, more tender, and had better seasoning. This isn’t to say the chicken was bad, but the hanger steak was definitely the winner. We ordered three pieces of flatbread to go with our meat and three different sauces. Ray chose the salsa verde sauce while I wanted to try the smoked yogurt and black garlic aioli sauce. The black garlic aioli sauce had more flavoring and went better with both the steak and chicken. While I didn’t try it, Ray said the salsa verde sauce was also good. The flatbread was hot and not super dense, serving as a perfect canvas for the meat and sauces. We ended up only eating half of the flatbread and had some meat leftover as well to take home.

IN SUMMARY:

We can’t wait to go back. Everything from the space, to the service, to the food exceeded our expectations. There were so many other dishes that we wanted to try on the menu that we’re looking forward to our next visit – I’m looking at you grilled octopus and pork shoulder. Ciudad definitely knows how to put ingredients together to make a standout dish. They also know how to transform an industrial, garage-like space to a hip and warm gathering spot.

TL;DR – don’t sleep on this hidden gem in Georgetown, visit ASAP for good food and good vibes.